Sanity
by Princess of Thieves
Summary: There's a legend, that a fallen ninja village called Konoha was destroyed by demons. Neji, a sand nin, doesn't believe the legend until he stumbles upon a cave...with a leaf kunoichi held by possessive demons. Not AU, just twisted around. Eventual NejiSak
1. Prologue

Mary: …I am sooooo going to get shot…

I should be updating Desert Flower, but I'm brain dead. As I've explained to my wonderful Kaile-chan (cough)thevampire'sgonnakillme(cough) I'm trying to get from point A to point B but don't know how. ANYWAY…

Hey, you know how the same plot is often used in a bunch of fanfictions? Like, in Itasaku, there's a million of Sakura getting kidnapped by the Akatsuki to join it, to heal a member, or to be bait for the Kyuubi? How there are a million high school fics with the same plot?

I cross my heart and hope to die that there is not a fanfic on this site with this plot.

…unneeded information…anyway! Take it away, Chino-kun!

Chino: Yay! Princess of Thieves does not own Naruto! Only this plot, na no da!

Mary: Damn straight!

* * *

"Don't let him escape!" 

_Thunk_

Rock Lee leapt into the air, narrowly missing the kunai thrown toward his feet. He grabbed the branch above him and swung himself up. Landing in a crouched position, he flung the black hair from his eyes and looked back. The enemy nins were catching up fast. His large eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as he leapt to another branch, hurrying to put distance between him and his enemy.

He'd been given a mission a few days ago to retrieve an important scroll for the Kazekage. It had been an easy enough mission…or at least, it _would_ have been, if the Mizukage didn't have a grudge the size of _water country_ against Suna.

Lee dodged a flock of shuriken and landed on the ground. Had he possessed genjutsu – or ninjutsu, for that matter - , he could have escaped easily, but fate was not so kind. He reached into his weapons pouch, grabbing his weapon of choice and pulling it out. It was a newly developed device; his sensei had called it a 'grenade'. Lee looked back once more, badly wanting to fight these nins himself, before removing the grenade's pick with his teeth and throwing it back toward his enemy.

Instantly, he leapt forward, and behind him he heard the burst of the grenade's energy. He sped up, but the wave followed, licking his back with heat. He should have removed his leg weights before throwing the grenade, and he mentally groaned.

'_If I make it back, I will do 500 push-ups!'_ he promised himself before the energy caught up with him, blasting him forward and effectively knocking him out.

* * *

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

Lee's eyebrows furrowed, feeling another drop fall onto his face. His eyes slowly opened, but it took a moment for his vision to adjust. It was dark and wet, and the floor was cold and hard. He sat up, confused about his location, but winced as pain stung his elbow. It was scraped, bleeding, and his gold spandex was ripped there, among other places.

"I must have fallen from the blast…" he murmured, slightly disappointed in himself. "But…where on earth did this cave open? I did not see it before…" A quick rush of panic went through him as he checked his weapons pouch. It was extinguished as quickly as it came as he felt the scroll in his hand. He sighed in relief. The mission was complete. Kazekage-sama had no reason to punish-

…

…

…what on _earth_…

Across from him, on the other side of the cave, was something…he didn't know what, but it was oddly colored and stood out from the cave floor like white on black. There was a colorful pile, composed of bright red, petal pink, and pale…

-was that an _arm_!?

Lee jumped up. The pile was a _person_! He rushed over, ready to help them, and saw the figure on their stomach. He flipped them over, and he gasped. The figure…he gulped.

She was _beautiful_.

Her light pink hair, though slightly tangled, flowed over the sides of her face and shoulders, and seemed to end at her waist. Her features were perfectly placed…except, her forehead was a little wide. It was adorable, though. Her skin was pale, like she hadn't been in the sun in ages. Slowly, Lee reached out a bandaged hand, intending to move a rose-colored lock from her face.

Without warning, his hand was slammed down, pinned to the hard, damp floor. Claws dug into his skin, and his eyes snapped up in surprise. Blood red eyes met his gaze, glaring at him with slitted pupils.

"_What are you doing here?"_ the figure hissed, his lips curled back in a snarl. Vicious fangs were revealed as hot breath fanned over Lee's face. He found himself staring. His chakra…it practically_exploded_, it was so powerful. How hadn't he sensed it before?

"Aah!" Lee cried out. The creature's bubbling chakra began burning away his bandages, and he wrenched his hand away, jumping back from the demon. Now that he could see its full body, he gasped.

It – no, _he_ – looked _human_.

He had blond spiked hair, and though the chakra around him played tricks with his eyes, the boy inside could not be any older than himself. He was crouched over the girl's body possessively. His chakra coated his body, taking form of what seemed to be an animal. He crouched lower, a translucent tail waving dangerously back and forth.

"Get _out_," he growled lowly. Before Lee could calm down and retort, a slight movement caught his eye. The girl's hand twitched, before clenching into a fist, and her head turned to the side, facing Lee's direction. Her eyes were clenched as well.

The creature had sensed the movement as well, for as she'd started to move he'd abruptly pushed himself off of her form, head snapping down to watch. He drank in every movement she made under him, and his eyes became half-lidded, softening in what seemed to be a caring emotion. A purr made its way out of his throat as he bent his arms, swooping down to nuzzle his face into her neck and closing his eyes.

As he did so, Lee watched as the girl's eyes clenched tighter, as if she were aware of the situation in her sleep. As she shrunk away from his touch, Lee felt his blood boil.

"How dare you," he muttered, standing carefully. One demonic eye opened to stare at him. "How dare you taint such a youthful maiden with your vile touch!" He slid back, tucking a hand behind him in his signature fighting stance. "Get away from her, you foul demon!"

The boy bared his fangs again, lifting his head from the girl's neck. "Who do you think you are," he growled, his crouch once again becoming animalistic.

Lee glared. "I am Suna's youthful golden beast, Rock Lee! And as a shinobi, it is my duty to protect the innocent from the hands of fiends like you!"

"Hn, nice speech."

That was all the warning he received before a fist came flying at him. With lightning fast reflexes, Lee dodged, jumping to the side. The fist crashed into the wall he'd once been in front of, the force causing rocks to fly everywhere. Lee's arms came up to block the rubble from his face, but he watched as the demon crouched lower to cover the maiden's body.

When the dust cleared, a second figure was revealed. He was hunched over, but differently than the demonic boy. While the demon crouched like an animal, this one hunched like a giant weight was placed on his shoulders. Violet colored chakra swirled around him, and black flames were tattooed all over his pale skin. As they turned to him, a shiver ran down Lee's spine. Glowing crimson eyes glared at him. Three tomoe were spinning wildly, and Lee had trouble tearing his gaze away and looking back toward the maiden.

The first boy began shaking himself off, causing dust and pebbles to fly everywhere. "Oy, teme," he growled, "watch it!"

"How was I suppose to know he would dodge so fast, dobe?" Sasuke growled.

The blond leapt from the maiden's body, landing on his hands before his feet as a box would. He stood, crouched over, and glared at Lee. Now two pairs of crimson eyes drilled through his form.

"We won't ask you again," the second boy hissed. "Get out."

Lee slid back into a fighting stance, glaring back at them. "Release the maiden, and I shall leave as well."

Out of nowhere, two kunai flew past Lee's body, embedding themselves into the floor behind him. Blood flowed from his cheek, and he felt his kunai holster drop from his leg.

"I do apologize," a third voice echoed through the cavern along with footsteps, "but you _are_ trespassing." The third made himself known, surprising Lee. Nothing abnormal surrounded this man, at least as far as he could see. He looked to be the age of his own sensei, Maito Gai. A mask covered his face, a hitai-ate with a symbol unfamiliar to him covering one eye.

"We would appreciate it," he spoke again, his light and airy voice covering a threat, "if you were to leave." Slowly, the man reached for the headband, lifting it from his face. The eye hidden beneath opened, staring into Lee's dark orbs.

Out of nowhere, Lee froze. An overwhelming fear drilled into him as he stared at the man's single crimson eye. He began shaking, and his stomach flipped over and over. A cold sweat coated his body and before long, his knees gave out. He sat there, panting at the overwhelming emotion this man forced upon him.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind…" the man trailed off. Lee backed away, sliding along the ground, and gave one last look at the pink-haired maiden. He stopped as he saw the girl's eyes open slightly, an unfocused but beautiful jade color staring ahead. He felt himself flush slightly as he stood, never breaking eye contact.

He wanted so badly to defeat these villains and rescue the princes…

…but the scroll in his pouch screamed otherwise.

"I shall rescue you, my youthful maiden! One day, I swear it!" he cried, stripping off the weights on his legs and dropping them to the floor. A giant cloud of dust flew, blocking his enemies' view as he sped away.

* * *

Mary: This is only the prologue, people! In the next chapter, Sakura's night in shining armor appears! (in the story, not in the cave to whisk her away to shinobi-dom…) 

Chino: Please review! Give suggestions and ideas, please, na no da! We know what's happening but that doesn't mean we going take suggestions into consideration!


	2. Chapter 1

Me: …I'm gonna get shot for not updating --;;;

K, so here's the second chapter:D is anyone happy? Anyone? Anyone at all? …nope XD

OMG anyway I went through my reviews a couple weeks after I got them and I realized that _LADY HANAKA REVIEWED! _I was so fucking excited, man! Dude, she is my favorite authoress, like, ever! I like had a seizure when I realized it XD

In summary, Hanaka-sama, I love you XD

MOVING ON, if you read Desert Flower…please don't kill me, I got writer's block :sweatdrop:. But here's a new chapter! READ!

Note: I changed Lee from the green beast to the golden beast (changed the last chapter, too), kuz...come on, they're in sand. It makes more sense, ne?

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. If it did, Sasuke wouldn't be currently kicking Itachi's ass (OMG SPOILERS!!! Sorry XD)

* * *

The wind whipped around him, sending his dark brown hair flying around his form. His bag was pulled over his shoulder, the white material stained with mud and filth. His training outfit was also caked with dirt, showing the work and training he'd gone through. With his head held high, he stepped through the gates of Suna.

After all this time…

After all these hardships…

He was home.

* * *

"I swear to you, it is true!"

The nin rolled his eyes at his comrade. "Sure it is, Lee. Sure it is."

"Well…it c-_could_ happen, Kiba-kun…"

Kiba turned, his black eyes looking at his teammate in disbelief. "Hinata-chan, did you hear a _word_ that Lee just said? He blew up his enemies, fell into a cave, found a pretty girl – with _pink _hair – and got attacked by demons; one with a read eye that made him feel fear. By _looking_ at him. He's _LEE!_" Kiba cried, throwing his arms into the air. "He doesn't _know_ what fear it!"

"Why thank you, Kiba-san!"

"That wasn't a compliment, Lee."

Hinata turned her attention to her ramen bowl, swirling the noodles around in the broth. "I-I don't know, i-it c-could be real…" she repeated.

Kiba sighed. "Hinata-chan…-Oi, Akamaru, that's _my _bowl! Get your own!"

"Arf!"

"Well, I do not care if you believe it or not, Kiba-san!" Lee proclaimed, stepping onto the table and making a heroic pose. "I shall return to that cavern one day and rescue the maiden! It is a promise!"

Kiba could practically see the waves breaking against the rocks behind Lee's moment of 'youth.'

"Lee!"

Another figure entered the restaurant, and her cry caused Lee to jump in surprise and fall off of the table. The girl leaned against the doorframe, panting as sweat dripped down her brow.

"Hey, TenTen," Kiba greeted sarcastically as the brunette stormed in.

"What are you guys doing in here?" TenTen cried. They could see other nins – and a few civilians – running past the building. "He's back!"

Kiba's eyes widened. "W-What? You serious!?" he cried, nearly falling off of his seat.

"N-Nii-san's back?" Hinata whispered, flushing with excitement.

A sudden gust nearly knocked them over; the result of Lee running out of the store at record speed. It had knocked Kiba's hood from his head, and one of TenTen's buns had unraveled. The three figures blinked in surprise, unable to register how fast he'd ran out.

His village crowded around him, welcoming him, asking how his training has been. Although his pride would never allow him to admit it, he'd missed most of the people engulfing him with questions. He'd put himself in solitude for so long that this much human contact was actually nice…

"Oi, Neji!"

Neji's attention turned as the crowd began to part. A golden jumpsuit came into view, a familiar bowl cut and bushy eyebrows topped it off. Neji's eyes softened in respect for the man. "Gai-sensei…" he acknowledged softly.

The man stopped in front of him, a proud gleam in his eye. "How were your travels? Wrestle any bears?"

Neji's pride took over as he closed his eyes and smirked. "Bears, missing nins…whatever I came across."

Gai chuckled, placing a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. "That's my student. Now, really, what happened on your journey?"

"Well-"

"_Dynamic Entry!"_

With lightning fast reflexes, Neji ducked with one leg bent and one spread out for balance. In the same instant, a golden blur flew over his head. He heard an "_OOMF_!" as the person crashed into the wrong target. He stood, dusting himself off, and turned to his attacker.

"How on earth," Neji groaned, "can you still be so…so…"

"Youthful?" the boy suggested hopefully, jumping off of the person he'd landed on. "Energetic? Inspirational? _Youthful?_" His hands were clasped in front of him, excited to hear Neji's description of him.

Neji twitched. "Sure…" he muttered. "Youthful…"

He suddenly found himself being crushed in Lee's arms, picked up and spun around. "Oh, Neji-san, it is good to have you back!" he cried, as he set the boy down.

Neji's eyes softened as they had for his sensei. It was a relief to be home, to be surrounded by familiar people. Even _Lee_ couldn't get on his nerves. "It's good to see you too, Lee."

Lee grinned, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Neji-kun!"

Everyone turned and the crowd parted again. TenTen rushed through, crashing into Neji's chest and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Neji-kun!" she cried, sobbing into his chest. "You're back…you're really back…"

Neji sighed, giving TenTen the softest look of all. He'd missed TenTen the most out of his team. He'd remembered their training sessions separate from Gai-sensei and Lee. "Hai…" he chuckled. "I'm sorry I left you with those two by yourself."

Something that sounded like "You should be" was mumbled into his chest.

"Neji, Kazekage-sama will want you to report to him," Gai advised as TenTen pulled away from her teammate.

Neji nodded. "Hai," he confirmed. He turned to make his way to the Kazekage's tower, but only managed a step before he stopped. In front of him, eight nins stood, blocking his path. Most had their arms crossed, with smirks adorning their faces. He recognized his cousin hiding toward the back of the group, and her teammate Shino held no expression. Everyone else stood as if they were expecting something from him.

"Where do you think you're going, Hyuuga?" Kiba demanded smugly.

"A whole year, we've been missing a _haidu siiku_ player," a blond girl he'd come to know as Temari threatened. "You owe us a game."

Neji sighed. "Is now really the time – "

"Damn straight!" another told him. This one – Temari's younger brother, Kankuro – was covered in black. "A whole year, Hyuuga. It's too easy for Lee to win when he's 'it' and you're not here."

"Please, Neji-san?" another blond – Ino – pleaded, clasping her hands together.

…

…

…

Neji sighed. "If I get beaten, you will all be paralyzed from the neck down."

The group of genin cheeted, and Ino ran up and hugged the Hyuuga. Neji rolled his eyes and shoved the blond away. "Last one to the starting point is an academy student!" someone cried, and the Suna Eleven sped off.

* * *

"_Oi, Teme!"_

_The figure turned, seeing an all too familiar blond running toward him. "What do you want, dobe?"_

"_What makes you think you can visit Sakura-chan without me, huh?" the blond demanded. He crossed his arms, his blue eyes glaring into the other boy's dark ones._

"_What makes you think I can't?"_

"Teme_!"_

"_I've been under control," the boy insisted coldly._

"_Kakashi-sensei said-"_

"_Forget what he said! I'm _fine!_" Almost immediately, he cringed. His hand gripped the cloth and skin on the back of his neck, his eyes clenched shut as he hissed in pain. He panted when the pain subsided, glancing at the blond._

_The blond gave him a combination of a glare and an 'I-told-you-so' look._

"_Fine," the boy spat, shoving past the blond. The blond followed, smiling after a moment. "Think she'll be happy to see us?"_

"_Of course, dobe."_

_The long, damp corridor went on for what would seem like forever to someone who didn't live there. "Why wouldn't she be glad to see us?" the boy asked softly, the tone screaming 'that was a stupid question.'_

"_Ano…" the blond drew out, "she _did_ seem kind of unhappy the other day, when we got rid of that weird yellow guy…" He laughed. "'The youthful golden beast of Suna!' 'I shall rescue this _youthful_ blossom!'"_

"_I'm killing him next time I see him," the boy growled._

_The blond rolled his eyes. "Not by yourself, you're not, teme. Some of his ass is mine."_

_The two stopped at a door near the end of the hall. In the cold, damp corridor, the door seemed to radiate warmth. The boy placed his hands into a tiger seal, muttering "Kai" to dispel the seals placed on it and slowly opened the door. "Sakura-chan," he murmured as light began to fill the room. When the door was only partially open, he froze. Three things were wrong._

_One, the lights in the room were off. Sakura always kept her lights on. She hated the dark._

_Two, Sakura's bed wasn't made. Despite the fact that no one came in but her, them and Kakashi-sensei, she felt the need to make it every day._

_Three…_

Sakura wasn't in the room.

_The boy slammed the door open, nearly shattering the wood against the stone. "Sakura!" he cried, her name echoing through the empty room. His eyes bled red as he looked frantically around the room. She wasn't there. _She wasn't there!

**Where was she!?**

_The blond backed away, eyes widening in disbelief. He stared ahead, partially at the boy and partially at the dark room. "Sakura-chan," he whispered, "you-"A pulse of pain shot through his head and his hand clawed at his scalp, his eyes clenching shut. He took another step back, unsure of what to do until another pulse attacked his head. He cried out, running back down the corridor, calling their sensei's name._

_The boy remained in the threshold, tensing by the second. He clawed at the back of his neck as dark violet chakra poured from his body. He leaned his back against the door frame as heat crept through his body…_

* * *

"Yosh! I found you!"

An explosion erupted somewhere half a mile from Neji's post. "Kuso," he muttered, leaping through the trees to get further away. Lee had – purposely – been the last to arrive at the starting point (Suna's gates). Wonderful.

_Haidu Siiku_ was a game unique to Suna's highly trained nins. The closest trees to the desert were an hour away, but it was the only place to play. The person who was 'it' would stay at Suna's gates for half an hour while the rest of the players started out their trip. The players would all have to hide in the forest as the 'it' person tried to find them. If found, they would spar. If the player won they hid again. If they lost, they had to go back to Suna.

A cruel game to most other countries, but it was nothing compared to the training they went through in the academy.

Ino's scream ripped through the forest and Neji went faster. Deeper, into a part of the forest unfamiliar to him. Trees flew by for ten minutes – Neji counted every moment – before he heard Lee shout again and another sparing match begin. He cursed again under his breath before landing on a branch. He clasped his hands together, gathering chakra into his eyes before his eyelids flew open. _"Byakugan!"_

He'd missed his ability to see _everything_ during his journey, as he'd sworn not to use it. He'd sworn only to train his body and senses, but_damn_. Adrenaline rushed through him as his vision seemed to soar. _'Concentrate,'_ he thought to himself, scanning the area for a hiding place.

Tree…

Tree…

Tree…

Oh…_that_ was interesting.

Only a small distance away was a formation of rocks, and from what he could see it went underground for miles. The paths twisted and turned and –

…were there _chakra signals _in there?

He heard a crash behind him and decided not to dwell on it. He leapt forward once again, burying himself into the trees.

* * *

"_Sensei! Kakashi-sensei!"_

_Kakashi turned as a familiar blond head slammed into his stomach. The blond wrapped his hands around the man's waist and began shaking and sobbing into his chest. Kakashi blinked his single eye, trying to make sense of what the blond was mumbling into his chest. "She…empty…Sakura-chan…teme…"_

_Kakashi's eye widened at the mention of Sakura's name. He put his hands on the boy's shoulders, pulling him away from his body, and lowered himself to the blond's level. "Naruto," he demanded, glaring into his blue eyes, "What happened to Sakura?"_

_Naruto sniffed, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Sakura-chan, she…sh-she-"He cried out in pain, clutching his head and shaking. Kakashi watched as the blond's nails grew into claws, digging into his scalp. Kakashi's single eye widened again._

"_Naruto, did she –"_

Crash

_Both winced as rubble flew at them. Naruto coughed as the dust flew up and Kakashi turned in the direction of the explosion. He pushed up his hitai-ate, his sharingan reading the movement through the dust cloud. He could feel the massive chakra pouring into the area, and as the dust cleared he found himself staring into two eyes identical to his own single red orb. The boy's fist was placed where the stone wall had once been._

"_Sasuke…" Kakashi murmured._

* * *

"Where is she!?"

A crash echoed throughout the damp cave, but Neji ventured deeper into the dark tunnels anyway. The stone labyrinth was astounding. Patches of glowing pink crystal were scattered among the walls and ground. He'd stayed somewhere with these crystals – he recognized the growth pattern and shape – but he'd never seen them grown _pink_ before. He kneeled down in front of a particularly large patch of crystal, breaking some off and activating his byakugan. He was surprised when he could see paths of chakra streaming through the glittering form. What on earth…

_Gasp_

Neji's head whipped around as a flash of pink and red flew around the corner. He didn't move, even as his hair fell onto his back. He stared at the corner, a scrap of crimson fabric poking out from behind the wall. Cautiously, he began to pour chakra into his eyes, allowing his vision to pass through the stone and focus on the figure behind it. He saw the figure's chakra points, though he could see them trying to cover their chakra signal.

He watched as they slowly turned, poking part of their face from behind the wall. He stopped the chakra flow to his eyes to see properly, and found himself staring into a frightened, curious emerald orb. Slowly, the person emerged from the wall, sensing that Neji held no threat toward them.

Neji's eyes scanned over their face and body. They were female, of that he was completely certain. She looked no older than himself, if not younger. Her red dress was worn, the white trimming and circles stained with dirt. The most interesting thing about her, however, was her hair. Light, almost delicate looking pink hair adorned her face. It seemed unfit that her hair was crudely cut, each lock slightly different length.

"Who are you?" Neji questioned, his hand slowly reaching for a kunai. In the pale light, he could see the glint of metal from her pink head. A hitai-ate. _'She is a kunoichi…'_

"You shouldn't be here," the girl warned in reply. He could see her tense body begin to relax, sensing he was not a threat to her.

"Why is that?"

"You'll get hurt."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a _warning_," she emphasized, trying to get the point through his skull.

"Of course," Neji assured, clearly not convinced. He turned his attention back to the crystal, clearly not viewing her as too much of a threat.

"I'm not kidding," the girl growled. He heard the clinking of metal and his head whipped around again. She held a ripped kunai pouch in her hands, and she ran her thumb over the worn cloth almost lovingly. "There was a boy who came in here yesterday or the day before." She let out a sad sigh as she failed to remember the correct day. "He was frightened off."

"By what?" Neji questioned. The pink-haired girl opened her mouth to reply but an earth shattering roar interrupted her.

"_**Saaakuurraaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"**_

The walls shook, the crystals jingling as they crashed together. Neji crouched down, pouring chakra into his eyes to find the threat, but nearly found over at what he found. _Enormous_ chakras were surging through the cave's catacombs. It was physically _impossible_ for chakras to be that powerful. Behind him, he saw the pink-haired girl begin to shake, eyes widening.

"We _need_ to get _out_," she murmured, her voice shaking. He groped for his wrist and, finally latching onto it, began to tug him toward where she assumed lead to the exit. Neji whipped around.

"What are those?" he demanded.

"Talk later, escape now!" she insisted.

Neji opened his mouth to retort, but the deep rumbling of a crash echoed through the cavern, the crystals clinking against each other. He tucked the pink crystal into his pack and held his hand out. The girl raised a pink brow.

"What are you- _Ah!_"

Neji grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward. As she fell toward him he bent down, scooping her into his arms and – before she could react – dashing through the catacombs.

* * *

"**NO!"**

_Naruto slammed his head against the wal, a deep thud echoing through the area. Two chakra-formed tails swished from side to side and his chakra coated his body in the shape of a fox. He bounced off of the wall, landing on his hands and feet, before running forward and repeating the process. Anything to stop the constant clawing at his mind._

_At long last, he felt himself being pulled back by Kakashi and pinned to the floor. He thrashed in Kakashi's grip as the man turned to Sasuke. The boy's crimson eyes glared back. _

"_What is our plan,_sensei_?" he hissed._

_Kakashi waited a moment, pressing Naruto down harder as he sighed. "We wait."_

Crash

_Kakashi didn't need to look up. Sasuke had embedded his hand into a wall. "_What?"

_Kakashi looked straight into the boy's eyes, seeing the anger and insanity deep within them. "Sasuke," he explained, "neither you nor Naruto are stable. If we try to find her now, we're more likely to hurt her unintentionally."_

_Sasuke tilted his face to the ground, his bangs covering his eyes. After running the idea through his head, he jerked his first from the wal, staring at his bloody knuckles. A sick and twisted smirk came over his face. "Yes," he murmured, slowly licking the blood from his hand._

"_We'll _wait_."_

* * *

Me: Ideas for the next couple of chapters please XD I have the entire climactic part all good, and some random little parts to build up omg-ness, but I still want input and ideas, please :D Review!!! Onegai!!! 


	3. Chapter 2

"Oi, Ino

Me: (slowly peeks head from around the corner) Hehe…hi everybody…did you miss me?

(gets tons of kunai thrown at her)

Okay, o_kay!_ So I haven't updated Desert Flower in a while, and I haven't updated this since February…I'm _sorry_. My excuses are as followed:

- School pwned me. No seriously, I couldn't write in school (the place I seem to write the best) and keep my grades decent at the same time…not that my grades ended up decent anyway, but I stopped getting scolded for not paying attention…

- Summer does not equal free time. I've been trying to hang out with my friends because I barely see them during the year (I go to a different school than them, after all)

- I am studying Japanese in order to take Japanese 2 in the fall. It's not going to well, but it's taking up a lot of my time

- Sheer lack of inspiration. I had half of the chapter written months ago, but I couldn't decide exactly how to get through a part of it

So, here's the most recent chapter. Please…enjoy --;; remember that I love ideas…and fanart! FANART!! Haha…yeah…

Umm…also…I was supposed up update this yesterday…and I thought I would and I told Lady Hanaka that I would update or I would do 100 sit ups…well…I'm gonna get on those 100 sit ups soon…XD I'm sorry!

Disclaimer: No, it's still not mine

* * *

"Oi, Ino."

Ino glanced toward Shikamaru, who was resting against a tree at the entrance to the forest. His eyebrows were knitted together, though his eyes remained shut. "Stop pacing. You're making _me_ anxious."

Ino blinked, looking back at where she'd been walking. Sure enough, there was an indent in the mixture of soil, sand and grass. "Ehehe…" she laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

"What's up with you?" Temari muttered as she pulled out the last of her four ponytails. She shook out her hair and wove her fingers through it to dispose of the leaves buried between the strands.

"What's up with _me_?" Ino cried, glaring at the older blond. "Don't tell me _you/re_ not anxious to win _Haidu siiku_ for the first time in a _year_!"

Temari shrugged, shaking her hair out. She tilted her head to the side and began to retie her pigtails. "We all know it's just your crush on _Neji-kun_ that has you antsy," she sneered. In truth, she _was_ almost as anxious as Ino. She just channeled her excitement better in order to keep herself from looking like the younger blond. She'd been trying to swallow a squeal of excitement for the past half hour, but it seemed to keep popping into the back of her throat, pushing to escape. It never did, though. Temari was above squealing like a fangirl.

Ino scoffed at her. "So what?" she snapped. "My love for Neji-kun is none of your business!"

"It is when your love-sick puppy day-dreaming gets on my nerves," Temari growled through her clenched teeth.

"You wanna fight?"

"Bring it, bitch!"

Shikamaru groaned as he watched Ino launch herself at Temari. There wasn't even any ninjutsu; it was just a pure catfight. Kiba had begun howling and rooting for Temari and Akamaru was nipping at both blonds' heels in excitement. Shikamaru decided he didn't care if they won or not; he just wanted Neji and Lee out of that forest so that he could go home and sleep.

* * *

Neji's Byakugan was active and searching frantically for any signs of his comrades. The last thing he needed was to run into Ino, or Kiba, or – _especially_ – Lee. How the hell was he going to explain this?

"_Well, I hid in this cave covered in pink crystals and found this girl with pink hair, then this thing screamed from the bowls and we hauled ass!"_

Yeah. That would go well.

Speaking of the pink-haired girl, she currently held a death grip on his cream-colored (and dirt-covered) shirt. Her eyes were clenched shut as if she'd never been this high off the ground before. How odd; he had seen a hitai-ate on her head back in the cave. Was she not a kunoichi? He supposed, judging by her appearance and her ridiculous reaction to this height, that she had been fresh out of the academy when she'd entered that cave.

He couldn't help but be curious about the pink-haired girl. How long had she been in there, all alone with those massive chakras? Had she ever confronted them? Was she really a kunoichi? He hadn't gotten a good look at her hitai-ate; what village was she from? What were those chakras? What made those crystals grow pink? (_Wait, what do the crystals have to do with anything). _Who was the boy in the cave; whose kunai pouch was that?

Before he could piece another question together in his head, a large amount of chakra came into his Byakugan's vision.

"_Suna senpuu!"_

Neji's foot landed on another branch and on contact, he pouted chakra into the sole as he pushed himself off. Barely a second later, a gold-colored leg crashed into the trunk of the tree, right where he'd once been standing. The Hyuuga landed on a tree nearby and turned his head to see Lee landing on another branch twenty meters from himself.

"Aha! Neji-san!" Lee cried, pointing toward his rival. "At last, after a year, I can finally fight with you!" The gold-clad boy slid back into his signature fighting stance, with one hand behind his back and one held in front of him. "Today is the day that _I_ shall win this battle!"

Neji almost died a little on the inside. He'd imagined that he'd have to fight Lee when he returned. He'd never really thought he'd be challenged with a pink-haired girl in his arms.

Hyuuga Neji was one to plan ahead. While he was nothing compared to Temari or Shikamaru, he prided himself on being an extremely intelligent shinobi. Given a situation, he could play out multiple scenarios in his mind and choose the best option from there. He'd played out multiple scenarios of Lee's challenge – ranging from as casual as Lee could ask to a drunken rampage – but he hadn't come up with a situation involving a mysterious kunoichi (if she _was_ a kunoichi…). Rarely did he wing it, but he supposed he was overdue for a 'winging it' situation.

He pulled the pink haired girl slightly closer as she stiffened in his arms. The kunai in the worn pouch she had clinked against one another. It was then that he noticed Lee's leg, or – more specifically – what was missing from it. His leg was missing the kunai pouch it was supposed to have around it. In the same second, he made the connection.

"_A golden boy left this here a few days ago…"_

"Lee," he called back to him. "…where is your kunai pouch?"

Lee's eyebrows furrowed. He looked down at his leg as if unaware that his pouch and weaponry were missing. His eyes lightened up as he seemed to remember. "Ah yes!" he cried, dropping from his fighting stance (but keeping his eyes sharply on the Hyuuga). "You did not hear my tale! You see, Neji-san, on my mission a few days ago, I launched one of Suna's new weapons at my enemies, but I fell into the cave from the blast! When I came to, I found the most –" the gold-clad boy seemed to swoon at the memory, "– _beautiful_ maiden I have ever seen! Her pale skin, her adorable forehead, her rose-colored hair that practically glowed with youth -"

"Lee-san?"

Neji stiffened as he heard the pink-haired girl's voice ringing softly in his ears. Her brows were raised in surprise and recognition caused by Lee's story and voice. She squirmed in his grasp, either to see the gold-clad boy or to get him to let go. Slowly, he set her feet onto the branch and let her push herself up. She lightly shoved him away to look at Lee, and he watched as her face glowed with joy at the sight of him.

However, it paled in comparison to Lee's face.

"P-Pink…" his mouth fell open and his eyes widened enough to pop out of his head. "P-_**PINK-HAIRED MAIDEN!!"**_ In the blink of an eye he'd leapt from his branch to theirs. Sakura yelped in surprise, falling back into Neji.

"Oh, Pink-Haired Maiden, you are _safe!_ I _knew_ your youth shined too brightly to be fake! Oh, Kiba-san said I was crazy, but I _knew_!" His eyes sparkle, his hands clasped together, and his cheeks were flushed with excitement. "Oh, you are safe! I am so glad! But, what happened to those demons?" His look quickly turned into one of concern. "Are you hurt? Did they rob you, or injure you, or - " he gasped loudly, "did they…" his eyes widened, "did they…?"

The girl seemed to catch on, because she snapped out of whatever stunned state Lee's talking had put her in and immediately flushed, frantically shaking her head. "N-No, no! I-I'm fine, Lee-san, nothing happened to me…" She softly tried to coax him into calming down. It seemed to work, since his shoulders slacked and he almost melted in reaction to her voice.

"You are sure?"

"Hai."

A caring, relieved look melted onto the boy's face. "Oh, that is good…"

Throughout the heart-warming scene, Neji felt unbelievably nauseous. He rolled his eyes as Lee continued to fawn over the pink-haired girl. He was tempted to just leap off and head back toward Suna, but somehow he couldn't will his feet to push him from the branch. His body wouldn't allow him to move. He wasn't oblivious. He knew why.

His body was still screaming for the human contact he'd deprived himself of for so long. He'd been unconsciously basking in their presence. So, he stood behind the pink-haired girl, allowing his body to drink in her being.

"Oh, Hime-san!" Lee suddenly cried. Neji, while only half-listening to Lee's rants, caught the change in nickname. "Your hair…it was so much longer before, was it not?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. So, this poor haircut had been fairly recent…? What had happened in three or four days that had caused this?

"W-Well…yes," the girl replied, sounding slightly unsure as she pushed her bangs from her eyes. As soon as the words left her mouth, the girl faltered. She let out a noise that sounded like a gurgle and began trembling a bit, slowly wrapping her arms around herself and bending over slightly.

"Hime-san?" Lee asked with concern flooding through his voice. He reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise and she jumped. Suddenly, she shoved the boy's hand away crouched over, sitting on her heels and – to Neji's disgust and surprise – emptying the contents of her stomach onto the forest floor. Neji jumped back in surprise, as did Lee, and wrinkled his nose in slight disgust at both the sight and smell of vomit.

When at last she stopped heaving, the girl stayed crouched in her position. She swayed back and forth in misbalance, and her shoulders dropped along with her energy. She dropped her head, which set off her balance, and she began to tip over. On reflex, Neji's hand shot out and grabbed the back of the girl's dress just before her weight sent her plummeting to the ground.

"H-Hime-san!" Lee panicked as Neji pulled her securely back onto the branch. "Neji-san, what is wrong with her?"

Neji moved his palm to her forehead and flinched. She was burning up, he found. It figured, with the luck he'd had that day. He groaned and in a quick motion scooped her up into his arms. "She has a fever," Neji told his teammate. "We should go back and get her cooled down."

Lee gasped. "My poor, youthful maiden is ill?" A look of determination slid onto his face. "Neji-san, I ask you. Allow me to carry her back to Suna! I wish to restore the glimmer of youth to my one true-"

"Take her."

Lee blinked in surprise as the girl was shoved into his arms. The sight of the lovely maiden in his arms sent a wave of pride, joy, and…well, _youth_ flooding through him! His eyes burned with energy.

"_YOOOSH!"_ Lee cried throughout the forest, his voice echoing throughout the area. "Let us return to Suna!!" And with that, Lee sped off, a cloud of dust and leaves flying in his wake.

Neji blinked at how fast Lee had run off, and then let out an annoyed sigh. "You're kidding me…" he muttered before jumping after him.

* * *

Crash

_The sound of shattered stone echoed throughout the hall as Naruto and Sasuke's battle raged on. Weapons clanged together as the two chased one another through the dark labyrinth. _

_It had only been an hour – two at the most – since Sakura had been found missing, but already their patience was wearing to a remarkable low. One word about ramen and a snap about tomatoes was all it took to get them started. Now they were tearing and clawing at each other, using their frustration and impatience to fuel them._

_Kakashi sighed in annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose to make the headache go away. Those damn kids…He forced himself to turn the page of his novel, his eyes scanning over the text, though he couldn't seem to absorb the words before him. He had reached the climax, yet his eyes just couldn't focus on the story any longer. With a growl of impatience, he snapped the book shut and slipped it into the pocket of his Jounin vest, resisting the urge to just shove it in and risk creasing the pages of his beloved novel. _

"_Naruto! Sasuke!" Kakashi barked at the two fighting boys. The two of them, however, ignored him and continued punching and kicking. "If you two don't relax, I'll have to come over there and - "_

Crash

_Kakashi growled under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose again. He shook his head in annoyance. They'd just crashed through Sakura's door. Wonderful. They'd have to fix that._

_Naruto growled, shaking his head free of the wood chips before Sasuke managed to land a kick to his chest. He found himself flying back and crashing into Sakura's bed, definitely moving it at least a foot or two from its original place. He slid down the side of the bed to the floor, placing a hand down to stabilize himself and moving the other to the bed to push himself up. However, before he could proceed, he stopped. Something…was under his hand._

_The texture under his hand…it wasn't the floor, it wasn't stone, it wasn't really hard in any way shape or form. He moved his hand around a bit, and the texture moved around as well, sometimes opening gaps to the cold, hard ground. He grasped whatever was under his fingers and brought it up to his face. Slowly, he uncurled his fingers, revealing, to his horror…hair. _

_A lock of cherry blossom-pink hair. _

_Sasuke clenched his fist when Naruto didn't respond. Had that last hit given him brain damage or something? Sasuke had too much damn energy to vent and Naruto's lack of response to his last attack was not. helping. Already he felt his anger and energy building up, going straight to the mark on his neck. A familiar, painful warmth began prickling against his shoulder. He quickly slapped his hand over the mark as if to try and prevent it from spreading, although he knew it was useless._

"_Oi, dobe!" he barked as Naruto slowly pushed himself to his feet. "Wake up, you damn-"_

_Sasuke barely had a moment to dodge as Sakura's bed came flying at him. Instinctively, he flew to the side, quickly round-house kicking the large piece of furniture into the wall. The bed posts splintered, a few pieces of wood embedding themselves into the mattress due to the force. Sasuke growled and turned back to Naruto. "Dobe, what the _hell_ was that…"_

_Sasuke trailed off. He couldn't speak. His brain somehow could not form words into proper sentences as he saw what was covering the floor Sakura's bed had once occupied._

_Everywhere…there was pink hair all over the floor. Strands, locks, light pink was scattered across the ground. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed together, confusion rolling through his mind. How did this happen, why was there pink hair everywhere? Sasuke felt the seal on his neck pulse and he dug his nails into his skin. The pain, the agitation, the impatience was dulling his sharp mind. He knew the answer was simple, but it kept slipping away from his grasp._

_That is, until he saw the kunai, buried under a pile of pink hair._

"_She cut it…" Naruto murmured, his voice broken and confused. "Why…Sakura-chan loved her hair…why would she…?" His fist clenched around a lock of pink, causing a few strands to float to the floor. "…Sasuke, this doesn't make sense, Sakura _loved _her hair!" Naruto's head quickly whipped toward Sasuke, his blue eyes wide. "_Why would she do this?"

_Sasuke saw the red tint around Naruto's irises and he gritted his teeth. "Naruto…you know why…" he forced out, ignoring the pain in his neck. _

"_But, Teme-"_

"_Shut up, Naruto!" Sasuke spat, wrapping his arms around himself and digging his nails into his skin. He could feel the crescent shaped marks embedded into his arm, and he knew…he knew it only took a little push, a little more pressure, for the skin to break. And so he pushed harder, until he could feel the liquid begin pooling around his finger tips and start sinking underneath his nails. His eyes were wide as he stared at the floor, unwilling to look at Naruto or the hair scattered across the ground of Sakura's room. It almost hurt for his eyes to be open that wide, but he somehow couldn't bring himself to close them._

"_It doesn't matter…it doesn't matter how long she's been okay…" he murmured to Naruto, though it seemed like he was trying to make himself aware of the situation as well. "It doesn't matter how much she smiled or how much she hugged us…she was still…" _

_Naruto was getting nervous. Bile rose up in the back of his throat, and he found himself unable to stop moving. His fingers twitched and his shoulders shook for reasons he couldn't explain. "T-Teme, it's been almost a year," he whispered, trying to keep himself in check. Trying to keep the hope of Sakura's well-being alive. "There's no way, she can't-"_

"_It doesn't matter how okay she acts, Naruto, you know as well as I do!"_

_Naruto clenched his eyes to block out the truth of Sasuke's words._

"_Sakura's _sick_!"_

* * *

Ino fell onto her back, letting the warm sand soothe her aching body. She let out a loud moan as the sand seemed to envelope her in a welcoming blanket. She could care less about how much she'd have to brush her hair to get all of the grains out. Between _haiidu siiku_ and her spar with Temari, she was _exhausted_…

And, of course, it didn't help to have a big, pink, wet dog tongue licking your face.

"_Augh!_" She cried, flailing her arms to get Akamaru to leave. The puppy whimpered and yipped, darting back and forth to dodge Ino's limbs. "_Kiba_, get your stupid, smelly mutt _away_ from me!"

"Oh, no, that did _not_ just come out of your mouth…" Kiba barked, pointing an accusing finger at the blond. Akamaru growled and continued to yip as menacingly as he could as Ino pushed herself to her feet and scooted away from the dog.

"Ewww, now I smell like _dog!_" she whined, frantically wiping her face clean of dog slobber.

"Shut up, Ino," Shikamaru muttered, not bothering to open his eyes. How long had it been...he really didn't know, but it had been _too_ long since the group had been kicked out of the forest (literally). Shino had been the last one to join their group, leaving only Lee and Neji to battle it out in the forest. He wasn't sure what was taking so long, but there were multiple likely explanations. Perhaps Neji had hidden so well that Lee was having trouble finding him? Or their spar was more intense than what anyone had expected it to be. Or perhaps, enemy nins had ambushed them? He hadn't seen Neji in a year, so it was difficult to predict his movement. He hoped that they would take care of whatever problems they had soon, though, because if he had to listen to Ino bicker with _one more person_, he was out of there.

Suddenly, they could hear leaves ruffling. Shikamaru sat up. There was no way that it could be the breeze, of that he was certain. The air around them was still, without even a light breeze to shift the sand on the ground. "Oi, are they back?"

The rest of the group seemed to draw their attention to the forest as well. Akamaru sniffed the air, then quickly jumped onto Kiba's head and whined. Kiba nodded. "It's them, alright," Kiba said, he himself sniffing the air as well. "But…there's someone else…" He scrunched up his nose in disgust. "Ugh, she smells like barf…"

"Ignoring that little detail…" Shikamaru muttered to himself.

"Is it an enemy nin?" TenTen asked, concern coating her words. Shikamaru sighed. Of course she would be worried. Neji had just gotten back, and the idea of an enemy nin attacking _both_ of her teammates…Well, there was no doubt that they could take them, but still, the thought of it probably upset her. And knowing TenTen, she wouldn't be able to _stand_ the thought of Neji being hurt on the day of his return.

Kiba shook his head, sighing a bit in frustration. "I can't tell. It could easily be a civilian or a nin…" He reached into his pouch, grabbing a kunai. "Still, just to be safe, we should probably-"

"_**YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!"**_

Suddenly, a green blur came rushing out of the forest, charging straight through the group of nins. They all cried out in surprise as they were sent flying in all directions due to the speed, and kicked up sand landed on all of them. Shino was the only one who managed to stay in place, though he did seem to visibly twitch in annoyance when the sand successfully buried itself deep in his hairdo. _That_ wasn't going to be fun to clean out…

"Was that…" Ino stood, dusting herself off, "…_Lee?"_

"No, it was _Neji_," Kankuro muttered sarcastically, trying to get the sand out of his hood.

Barely a moment later, Neji came rushing out of the forest, his brown hair filled with leaves that had clung to him when he brushed by. He barely spared the rest of the group a glance as he ran past.

"_Ah! Neji-kun!"_ Ino cried, causing Neji to pause. He turned back toward her, his eyes clearly glaring at her with impatience and demand that she hurry up with her question. "Did you win? You didn't get attacked, did you? Oh, Neji-kun, I'm so glad you're _fine!" _she cried, running up to him and latching onto his arm.

TenTen visibly twitched. "Ino, Neji's _fine_," she hissed, gritting her teeth. She quickly turned to her teammate, some concern dancing across her eyes. "Right?"

Neji sighed in annoyance. "Yes," he answered, slipping his arm out of Ino's grasp. "Why the concern?"

"Well, Kiba smelled someone," TenTen continued, quickly hiding the concern she knew would just grind on Neji's nerves, "so we thought that maybe…"

"TenTen, the person Kiba smelled was a kunoichi," Neji rushed, causing everyone's eyebrows to rise. "She is ill. Lee is taking her back, we need to leave, now," he pressed. _'Those giant chakras…who knows what they were…it's best we move out of their range as soon as possible.'_

"What's the rush?" Kiba asked, pushing himself up. Akamaru whimpered at the situation, clearly not liking the though of enemy nins.

"Nothing," Neji answered quickly, "not yet, but if the kunoichi had friends, we do not want to be around when they arrive. Besides," he turned away from the, back in the direction of Suna. "…I have some questions I need answered." With those words, he ran off, following the tracks Lee had left behind. The group looked at each other, confused by the situation at hand, but shrugged their shoulders and leapt after him. About five minutes into the trip, Kankuro groaned.

"Wait a second, I'm confused," he stated, turning to Chouji on his right. "Did we win _Haiidu Siiku,_ or not?"

* * *

There ya go. OH, also, OMFG THE AVATAR FINALE!! IT WAS SOOOO GOOD FOR AN HOUR AND FIFTY FIVE MINUTES!! (Then, of course, there was Maiko, Kagaang, and Sukka instead of Tokka and ZUTARA. Seriously, people…Though, I have a new love for Jun. She kicks ASS, not to mention, SHE SHIPS ZUTARA!)

Also, I hope you realized this, but when Sasuke said she was sick, he didn't mean she was throwing up...Also, is she _really_ sick? What's wrong with her? All answers will be revealed in time, try and stay with me, here! (But she's not sick like she has a disease or anything...that's about all you get...)

Ok, well, yeah. Read and review, please!


	4. Chapter 3

Wow...almost a year...like, nine months or something...hehe...missed you?

Sorry it's been a while, I was...uninspired, and ridiculously busy. School...(gags) And by 'ridiculously busy' I mean 'busy and lazy'. Yay.

Have fun? XD

**Disclaimer: **Naruto, still, is not mine. If it were...well, more interesting stuff would be happening now, obviously...

* * *

"Oh, do you think she will be alright, Neji-san?"

Neji twitched, and knew he was a fraction of a second from losing his composure. Not only was the beeping of the girl's monitor about to drive him insane, but Lee's constant talking wasn't doing his mental state much good, either. He sat in a chair against the wall as Lee paced around the room, and he swore _he_ was getting anxious from watching him.

The pink-haired girl had been knocked out for three hours. Everyone was mad at them for spoiling their round of _Haidu Siiku_, but their curiosity about the weird girl (not to mention their suspicion) kept them alive. Lee was completely engulfed by the pink-haired girl's presence, and Neji had watched at least four nurses walk out of the room with annoyed or disturbed expressions on. (He was on the brink of joining them as well.) Though, he had to admit, he _was_ curious about the girl. There were too many details and nothing to connect them. The cave, the charkas, the color those crystals were growing…not to mention, Lee's story had described demons. If there _were_ truly demons – though Neji would scold himself for more than considering, let alone believing it – it added another detail that needed shading in. Now the girl's sickness was another possible variable in the equation…He sighed to himself, fiddling the crystal he'd picked up from the cave. He'd glanced over her body with his Byakugan, but other than being a bit low on chakra, he didn't see anything immediately wrong. Then again, he wasn't a doctor. He'd have to wait for her diagnosis to lift a bit of fog from the situation…

He heard the door slide open and glanced up to see who was entering, expecting a doctor or a nurse to check on the girl. Instead – to his mild disappointment – he found a familiar golden-suited bowl-cut jounin making his way through the door. "Gai-sensei!" Lee cried, piercing the sacred silence of the clinic. Neji resisted the urge to wince.

Luckily, a nurse had been passing by, and poked her head in the room. "Sir, please, keep it down. This is a _hospital_."

Gai chuckled, laying a casual hand on the girl's shoulder. "I apologize for my adorable student's volume. You know how hard it is for him to contain the youth coursing through his veins! Right, Lee?"

"Yes, Gai-sensei!"

The nurse twitched, rolling Gai's hand off her shoulder. "Don't make me toss you out again," she ordered before sliding the door closed.

Neji sighed. "Must we go through this _every time_ we come here?" He ran his thumb over a smooth edge of the crystal.

"Aww, c'mon, Neji lighten up," Gai laughed. "It's only happened a few times…"

"Twenty seven," the Hyuuga growled, looking up at his sensei. "Might I inquire as to the reason of your visit, Gai-sensei?"

The change of moods was almost jarring to say the least. The grin had fallen from Gai's face, the chuckles dying in his throat. The normal playful air around him vanished, and the man turned with a regretful gaze toward Neji.

"…the Kazekage wishes to see you."

Neji's breath hitched in his throat.

"He's displeased that you didn't make your visit with him your first priority. He orders you to report immediately."

An awkward silence filled the room, only the beeping of the monitor echoing through their ears. Lee had amazingly enough silenced himself, at least for the moment, though Neji wished he would break the tension between them. Slowly, he stood, looking at his sensei with a hard look in his eyes. "Sensei…we don't know when she'll wake up; it could be any minute now. I've too many questions to ask her, I can't-"

"-Direct orders from the Kazekage," Gai sternly interrupted. "I'm sorry, my student."

Neji's nails dug into his palms as he let out an almost shaky breath. After a moment, he glanced at the unconscious pink-haired girl before slowly walking past his sensei and exiting into the hallway. Gai let out a sigh and placed a hand on Lee's head.

"We'll train tomorrow, my student," he said before turning to escort Neji. Behind him, he heard a stuttered "Yes, Gai-sensei!" before he closed the door.

* * *

"_How can he make us WAIT!?!"_

CRASH

_Naruto's fist made contact with the wall, causing to shatter. "He damn well _knows_ she can't be out on her own!" He grabbed a piece of rubble, crushing in his fist with a satisfying _crunch_ echoing through the halls._

_Sasuke grabbed the boy's wrist as he moved to smash the wall again. "Dobe."_

"_Don't fucking TOUCH ME-"_

"_**Naruto."  
**_

_Naruto froze, his breath caught in his throat as Sasuke's nails dug into his skin. "…Listen to me," the boy growled, his irises bleeding a deep frightening crimson. "I don't know what the _hell_ Kakashi is thinking…but if we leave her out there for a week there's no telling what could happen to her…"_ _He tightened his grip on Naruto's wrist. "I'm _not_ staying put doing _nothing_ while she's out there, not for that long…"_

_The blond ripped his arm from Sasuke's grasp. Unconsciously, he ran his fingers over the crescent-shaped marks left behind. "…so what, you wanna leave now?"_

"_And risk Kakashi beating the _shit_ out of us?" Sasuke scoffed. "He's already on top of us, he'd catch us in a heart beat…" He crossed his arms, lowering his gaze and tapping his fingers a few times in thought. "…three days, we'll leave then." He looked back up at Naruto. "In three days, Kakashi will back off, he'll think we've decided to agree with him…then we break for it." _

"_You sure that'll work?" Naruto asked, concern lacing his words._

"_It'd better…" he murmured more to himself than Naruto. "If not…Sakura…"_

_He left the sentence hanging._

_Because neither of them wanted to even _consider_ what could happen…_

_Sasuke turned to leave, but stopped. His foot had bumped against a patch of pink crystal on the ground. He stared blankly at the gems…before he glared._

_Their color was fading.

* * *

_

…Was she…

…_dead?..._

Everything was white…she was practically blinded. This certainly wasn't her room…the hall…the forest…in fact, it was the same color as –

Her eyes opened completely from their previous squinting state, gasping as she fully awakened. That boy! All of the memories from yesterday came flooding back, and she instantly regretted waking up as a headache coursed through her skull. She squeezed her pressure points in attempt to rid herself of it and a groan escaped her lips.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty."

Her body jolted in surprise, not expecting anyone else to be around her. She pushed herself up, still holding her head, and looked to see who was accompanying her. Next to her, she found a boy who looked about as drained as she felt sitting by her bed. "Took you long enough," he muttered to himself before he cracked into a loud yawn.

"**PINK-HAIRED MAIDEN!!!"**

She jumped and screamed in surprise as a familiar golden-clag boy raced to the other side of the bed, grabbing her hand. "Oh, fair maiden, at last you've awakened! Oh, I've been so _worried_ for you! When you passed out, I was afraid for your life, for if you were to turn ill I know not _what_ I would do!" He continued bubbling-over with worry, much to the overwhelmed pinkette's dismay. In the background of his youthful cries of worry, the beeping of her heart rate was steadily rising…

Conveniently, a nurse happened to be walking by.

The door swung open. "Lee!" she spat out her scolding as she stormed into the room, "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times that this is a _hospital_!" The woman grabbed Lee by his golden arm and dragged him to the door, grumbling angrily all the way. "For the love of the Kage, I should just ban you from this damn…"

"A-Ah, pink-haired maiden, I shall see you again!" Lee cried as he was dragged from the room. He grabbed the door frame to keep from being dragged away – "I shall count the moments!" – but soon the room was filled with a heavy, awkward silence as the boy was whisked away.

Shikamaru sighed, taking this chance to look over the girl in bed. The unevenly cropped hair, the dirt-covered skin, the way her shoulders hunched…along with her ridiculous hair color. Pink? He almost chuckled to himself. If this girl were a kunoichi…she'd probably never get taken seriously enough to complete a mission…or be _assigned_ a mission…

"C-Can I help you?"

Shikamaru's eyes lazily made contact with hers, searching and piercing through. He saw her uncertainty and her fear, and knew how to take control of the situation. "I'm here," he groaned, shifting to make himself more comfortable, "to interrogate you." He heard her breath hitch, and he held his hands up. "Look, I don't wanna be here either, and I'm not gonna drive bamboo under your nails, I'm just gonna ask a few questions, and it'd be easier for the both of us if you just answer." He glanced down at the clipboard in his hand, flipping a page over and p utting his pen to the paper. "Okay…first off, name?"

He was greeted with silence, much to his annoyance. He let out a groaned sigh and looked back up at her. "Listen, the sooner you answer-"

"It's customary to give your own name," the girl choked out, fisting her sheets, "before asking for another's."

Shikamaru blinked. He hadn't quite expected that…obviously this girl didn't know how else to react. She didn't seem comfortable saying those words…they probably weren't even her own.

He rolled his eyes before making eye contact again, seizing the situation. "Nara Shikamaru."

She gulped. "Haruno Sakura."

He raised an eyebrow. "…Really."

"What?"

"Weird name."

"I-It's actually relatively popular in Fire Country…"

"So you're from there?"

She let out a small intake of break. "Y-yes," she admitted after a moment.

He shrugged, jotting things down. "Whatever…" he muttered. "Birthdate?"

"March 28th."

"Age?"

Pause. "…What's the date?"

"Mm…April 8th," he muttered. A small, almost broken laugh was the reply he was greeted with. He raised a brow. "What?"

She shook her head sadly, looking up at the ceiling. "I just…turned fourteen…"

"Did you," Shikamaru muttered to himself, uninterested. "Congrats." He noted how important her statement seemed to be, at least to her. He observed as she ran a hand through her hair, fingers separating the uneven locks of petal pink. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and her other hand shot up to her head. After feeling around the top of her head, she frantically looked around the room, nearly falling off the bed as she searched. "Where…"

He groaned. "What are you doing…"

"Where's my hitai-ate?" she panicked, looking unter her sheets.

"…Hitai-ate?"

Her eyes shot up to meet his, sensing his disbelieving tone. "The only thing we took," he explained, "was a blood sample. You didn't have your hitai-ate when you came in."

"B-but that's impossible," she stuttered. "I had it on, I _took_ it with me-"

"So you're a kunoichi."

She faltered, before ending her panicked search and looking down at her lap. "I…_was_…"

Shikamaru frowned. A missing nin? A kunoichi stripped of her title? This girl could either be a threat or a waste of his time…not that she wasn't already. "Past tense…hm…" he commented. "What village did you hold loyalty to?"

…

…

…

"…Konoha."

* * *

The sound of a whip cracking shot through the Kazekage's tower. The sickening echo of the leather chord meeting flesh made lesser stomachs churn, but one crack lead to another, and another.

The Kazekage nodded as the torturer glanced at him. He nodded in return, before turning back to his victim.

"Nineteen."

_Crack_

Neji let out a gasp of pain – barely biting back a cry – as another welt began to form on his back. He bit his lip as the nin behind him let out a final "Twenty" and another crack rang through the room, sending fire through his body. With his punishment served, Neji collapsed from his position on his hands and knees and welcomed the cold floor to chill his skin. He had deserved it, by Suna's standards, he knew. He had promised the Kazekage he would check in the moment he returned to Suna. By ignoring this detail and choosing to play _Haidu Siiku_, he'd disobeyed him. Any other village would be horrified by their level of "abuse". While Mist was well known for having the most brutal training…

Suna was known to have the most brutal _punishments_.

Neji heard as his shirt was tossed carelessly to the floor in front of him. He slowly reached forward and clutched the cloth in his fist, ignoring the white hot pain burning across his back. He heard as his sensei approached him and assisted him in standing, and he softly gasped in pain as his arm was moved around the man's shoulder, stretching his skin…or what was left of it.

"I hope you have seen the error of your ways," the Kazekage's voice echoed through the room.

Neji bowed his head in respect. "Hai, Kazekage-sama."

The Kazekage nodded his head, dismissing them. Gai bowed slightly, so as to not cause Neji too much discomfort, and turned to leave. The Hyuuga let out shaky breaths, trying to focus on anything _but_ his torn skin… "The medic nin is right outside, Neji," his sensei assured, pausing as Neji visibly winced.

Neji grunted in reply. He felt like his back was on _fire_…but he could take it. If this pain were unbearable after the past year of training and seclusion…he deserved this. "I'm fine," he muttered as they neared the exit. "I'll be better…in a few days…"

"Hyuuga."

Gai stopped, but avoided turning and causing Neji more discomfort. "…Hai, Kazekage-sama?"

"I hope you know, you will be responsible for that girl you brought into the village."

"…yes, I will take full responsibility for her."

"Hm. Very well. You may go."

With that, the two exited the Kazekage's office, letting out synchronized sighs of relief. "This way," Gai said, guiding Neji toward the medic nin's office. Neji almost groaned…Suna's medical procedures often left his wounds stinging for weeks, due to the sand mixing with the cuts. He just wanted to return home as soon as possible…

Though something told him his destiny would only lead him through more twisted paths once he got there…


End file.
